AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

The benefits of practicing gratitude are nearly endless. People who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they’re thankful for experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems. And gratitude doesn’t need to be reserved only for momentous occasions: Sure, you might express gratitude after receiving a promotion at work, but you can also be thankful for something as simple as a delicious piece of pie. Research by UC Davis psychologist Robert Emmons, author of Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, shows that simply keeping a gratitude journal—regularly writing brief reflections on moments for which we’re thankful—can significantly increase well-being and life satisfaction.(Courtesy of Happify Daily)

How many times do we takes things for granted, living our lives as if there were no tomorrow? How many times to we busily go about our daily life and then something happens and it shatters us to the core.

But if you are Christ centred then you will be able to cope better and keep sadness, and depression away because it’s when we give thanks and praise to the creator that we receive what we need and if it’s not what we need, it’s because God has a better plan for you. A plan better than the one you mapped out for yourself, if you believe. It’s only when we stop to smell the roses, share what we have that we get to appreciate the things we love.

How do we do that?

1. Keep a digital gratitude journal

There are a number of apps that focus on cultivating a spirit of thankfulness. The Gratitude! app challenges users to write five things they’re grateful for every day. Developers say that recording gratitude consecutively for three weeks creates a brighter outlook and a new habit of happiness. Plus, it’s pretty cool to be able to look back on all of the things that made you thankful. Other apps to try include Gratitude 365 and The Gratitude Journal.

2. Take a thankfulness challenge

Chances are you’ve seen one of these challenges floating around your Facebook news feed at one point or another. The premise is simple: every day, for a week, or two weeks, or a month, post what you’re thankful for. Hesitant to be so public? Try private messaging different friends every day, letting them know why you’re grateful to have them in your life.

3. Get some Twitter inspiration

When Thanksgiving rolls around, many people turn to Twitter to share the reasons why they’re thankful, but several trending hashtags prompt sharing your appreciation all year long. Follow the hashtags #AttitudeofGratitude, #WhyImThankful, and #Thankful to read through thousands of reasons why people all over the world are giving thanks. Tweet your own to join the uplifting conversation.

4. Master the “thank you” email

While it’s no handwritten letter, sending a short “thank you” email can be a huge pick-me-up for someone in the middle of a long day. Thank a coworker for his or her hard work preparing for the morning meeting, or send digital appreciation to your roommate for listening to your worries about tomorrow’s big presentation. Knowing someone’s thinking of you makes a person feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

5. Pay it forward

Random acts of kindness work in the digital world, too. Browse through Kickstarter campaigns, and donate a few dollars towards somebody’s dream of opening a gallery or creating a documentary. Visit GiveForward.com, a fundraising platform where people raise money for loved ones in need. Can’t contribute financially? Share a story that speaks to your heart and offer words of encouragement.

PRAYER OF GRATITUDE BY KELLI MAHONEY

Thank you, Lord, for the blessings you have bestowed on my life. You have provided me with more than I could ever have imagined. You have surrounded me with people who always look out for me. You have given me family and friends who bless me every day with kind words and actions. They lift me up in ways that keep my eyes focused on you and make my spirit soar.

Also, thank you, Lord, for keeping me safe. You protect me from those things that seem to haunt others. You help me make better choices, and you have provided me with advisors that help me with the difficult decisions. You speak to me in so many ways so that I always know you are here.

And Lord, I am so grateful for keeping those around me safe and loved. I hope that you provide me with the ability and sense to show them every day how much they matter. I hope that you give me the ability to give to them the same kindness they have provided to me. I am just so grateful for all of your blessings in my life, Lord. I pray that you remind me of just how lucky I am, and that you never allow me to forget to show my gratitude in prayer and returned kind acts. Thank you, Lord. In your name, Amen.